3-D glasses with variable duty cycle shutter lenses

• US 5,717,412 A
• Filed: 01/03/1996
• Issued: 02/10/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IMAX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sonics Associates, Incorporated (IMAX Corporation)
• Inventors: Edwards, William Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Powell, Mark R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luu, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US08/582,406
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 345/7, 345/8, 345/9, 345/139
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 30/24 involving temporal multiplexing, e.g. using sequentially activated left and right shutters
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/133 Equalising the characteristics of different image components, e.g. their average brightness or colour balance
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/156 Mixing image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/158 Switching image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/161 Encoding, multiplexing or demultiplexing different image signal components for multi-view video sequence encoding H04N19/597
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/167 Synchronising or controlling image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/189 Recording image signals; Reproducing recorded image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/194 Transmission of image signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/239 using two 2D image sensors having a relative position equal to or related to the interocular distance H04N13/243 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/324 Colour aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/334 using spectral multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/341 using temporal multiplexing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/363 using image projection screens volumetric display H04N13/388
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/368 for two or more viewers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 13/398 Synchronisation thereof; Control thereof

Abstract

A shutter control mechanism for 3-D glasses includes a control circuit (28) associated with the glasses, the glasses having 3-D lenses (20) and (22). The control circuitry (28) receives commands from a control transmitter (16) in the form of synchronization pulses and command signals. The command signals are operable to vary the operating parameters of the lenses (20) and (22). Specifically, the duty cycle of the left lens (22) and the right lens (20) are varied such that they can either be at a fifty percent duty cycle, greater than a fifty percent duty cycle or less than a fifty percent duty cycle, wherein the amount of time that each of the lenses is on can be controlled for a given frame length.

Claims

1. A shutter control system for glasses having right and left lenses that alternate between opaque and transmissive states during a given operating frame, the operating frames sequentially occurring in a periodic manner at a given synchronization rate, comprising:

a receiver for receiving from an external source a shutter control command having imbedded therein shutter control information defining operating parameters of the right and left lenses, which shutter control information does not determine the periodic timing of the lenses; and

a control device for varying the operating parameters of the right and left lenses in accordance with said received shutter control information, such that the operating parameters of the right and left lenses in one time can be varied in the next and subsequent time in response to the received shutter control information in the next and subsequent time.

2. The shutter control system of claim 1, wherein said receiver is operable to receive said shutter control commands from a wireless data link, said wireless data link connected to a remote transmitter for transmitting to a plurality of 3-D glasses.

3. The shutter control system of claim 1, wherein the right and left lenses are controlled by said control device in an independent manner such that the operating parameters of the left lens can be varied independent of the operating parameters of the right lens.

4. The shutter control system of claim 1, wherein said operating parameters comprise the duty cycle of the right and left lenses during a given frame.

5. The shutter control system of claim 4, wherein said shutter control command comprises a sync pulse for defining the time timing, said sync pulse having said shutter control information imbedded therein and said receiver further comprising decode circuitry for decoding from said sync pulse said imbedded shutter control information.

8. The shutter control system of claim 4, wherein the duty cycle of at least one of the right and left lenses can be varied to be less than fifty percent.

9. The shutter control system of claim 4, wherein the duty cycle of both the right and left lenses is substantially equal.

10. The shutter control system of claim 4, wherein the duty cycle of at least one of the right and left lenses can be varied to be greater than fifty percent.

11. The shutter control system of claim 1, and further comprising an external input device for allowing the user to input shutter control command information to vary the operating parameters of the right and left lenses independent of the shutter control command information received by said receiver.

6. A shutter control system for glasses having right and left lenses that alternate between opaque and transmissive states during a given operating frame, the operating frames sequentially occurring in a periodic manner at a given synchronization rate, comprising:

a receiver for receiving from an external source a shutter control command having imbedded therein shutter control information defining operating parameters of the right and left lenses, which shutter control information does not determine the periodic timing of the lenses, said operating parameters comprising the duty cycle of the right and left lenses during a given frame and said shutter control command comprising a sync pulse for defining the frame timing, said sync pulse having said shutter control information imbedded therein and said receiver further comprising decode circuitry for decoding from said sync pulse said imbedded shutter control information, said imbedded shutter control information comprising the length of said sync pulse, the length of said sync pulse defining the transmissive time of at least one of the fight and left lenses; and

a control device for varying the operating parameters of the fight and left lenses in accordance with said received shutter control information, such that the operating parameters of the fight and left lenses in one frame can be varied in the next and subsequent frame in response to the received shutter control information in the next and subsequent frame.

7. A shutter control system for glasses having right and left lenses that alternate between opaque and transmissive states during a given operating frame, the operating frames sequentially occurring in a periodic manner at a given synchronization rate, comprising:

a receiver for receiving from an external source a shutter control command having imbedded therein shutter control information defining operating parameters of the right and left lenses, which shutter control information does not determine the periodic timing of the lenses, said operating parameters comprising the duty cycle of the right and left lenses during a given frame and said shutter control command comprising a sync pulse for defining the frame timing, said sync pulse having said shutter control information imbedded therein and said receiver further comprising decode circuitry for decoding from said sync pulse said imbedded shutter control information, said shutter control information determining the length of time that one of the left and fight lenses is transmissive; and

a control device comprising in part a central processing unit for varying the operating parameters of the fight and left lenses in accordance with said received shutter control information, such that the operating parameters of the right and left lenses in one frame can be varied in the next and subsequent frame in response to the received shutter control information in the next and subsequent frame, said central processing unit determining the length of time that the remaining one of the right and left lenses is transmissive by determining the duty cycle of the determined one of the fight and left lenses.

12. A shutter control system for glasses having right and left lenses that alternate between opaque and transmissive states during a given operating frame, the operating frames sequentially occurring in a periodic manner at a given synchronization rate, comprising:

a receiver for receiving from an external source frame synchronization information associated with the Synchronization rate;

a duty cycle device for synchronizing the flames with said frame synchronization information and for defining the duration of each frame during which each of the right and left lenses are transmissive; and

a control device for varying the duration of time the right and left lenses are transmissive during a given frame in response to the receipt of an external shutter control command that defines the duty cycle of each of the fight and left lenses, such that the operating parameters of the right and left lenses in one frame can be varied in the next and subsequent frame in response to the received external shutter control command.

13. The shutter control system of claim 12, wherein the right and left lenses are controlled by said control device in an independent manner such that the duty cycle of the left lens can be varied independent of the duty cycle of the right lens.

14. A method for controlling glasses having fight and left lenses that alternate between opaque and transmissive states during a given operating frame, the operating frames sequentially occurring in a periodic manner at a given synchronization rate, comprising the steps of:

receiving from an external source a shutter control command having imbedded therein shutter control information defining operating parameters of the fight and left lenses, which shutter control information does not determine the periodic timing of the lenses; and

varying the operating parameters of the right and left lenses in accordance with the received shutter control information, such that the operating parameters of the right and left lens in one frame can be varied in the next and subsequent frame in response to the received shutter control information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of receiving is operable to receive the shutter control commands from a wireless data link, the wireless data link connected to a remote transmitter for transmitting to a plurality of 3-D glasses.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step of varying comprises controlling the fight and left lenses in an independent manner such that the operating parameters of the left lens can be varied independent of the operating parameters of the fight lens.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the operating parameters comprise the duty cycle of the right and left lenses during a given frame.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the shutter control command comprises a sync pulse for defining the frame timing, the sync pulse having the shutter control information imbedded therein and the step of receiving further comprising decoding from the sync pulse the imbedded shutter control information.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the duty cycle of at least one of the fight and left lenses can be varied to be less than fifty percent.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the duty cycle of both the right and left lenses is substantially equal.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the duty cycle of at least one of the right and left lenses can be varied to be greater than fifty percent.

23. The method of claim 14, and further comprising allowing the user to input from an external input device shutter control command information to vary the operating parameters of the right and left lenses independent of the shutter control information received in the step of receiving.

19. A method for controlling glasses having fight and left lenses that alternate between opaque and transmissive states during a given operating frame, the operating frames sequentially occurring in a periodic manner at a given synchronization rate, comprising the steps of:

receiving from an external source a shutter control command that comprises a sync pulse for defining the frame timing, the sync pulse having shutter control information imbedded therein and the step of receiving further comprising decoding from the sync pulse the imbedded shutter control information, the imbedded shutter control information comprising the length of the sync pulse, the length of the sync pulse defining the transmissive time of at least one of the fight and left lenses, and defining operating parameters of the right and left lenses, which shutter control information does not determine the periodic timing of the lenses, the operating parameters comprising the duty cycle of the right and left lenses during a given frame; and

varying the operating parameters of the right and left lenses in accordance with the received shutter control information, such that the operating parameters of the right and left lens in one frame can be varied in the next and subsequent frame in response to the received shutter control information.

24. A method for controlling glasses having right and left lenses that alternate between opaque and transmissive states during a given operating frame, the operating frames sequentially occurring in a periodic manner, comprising the steps of:

receiving from an external source frame synchronization information;

defining the duration of each frame that each of the right and left lenses are transmissive during a given frame; and

varying the duration of time the right and left lenses are transmissive during a given frame in response to the receipt of an external shutter control command that defines the duty cycle of each of the right and left lenses, such that the operating parameters of the right and left lenses in one frame can be varied in the next and subsequent frame in response to the received external shutter control command.

25. The shutter control system of claim 24, wherein the right and left lenses are controlled by the step of varying in an independent manner such that the duty cycle of the left lens can be varied independent of the duty cycle of the right lens.